Fire-truck apparatus



Ma'rch 2s ,1926. www? vJ. E. BLAW a FIRE TRUCK APPARATUS Filed Feb. 4,1924 B. H/aw.

Jacob IIT..

JACOB BLAW, 0F .ATLANTIC CtTY, NEW' JERSEY.

FIRE-TRUGK A FFARATUS.

Application Afiled February To all who/1n t may concern:

lle it known that I, lasen l. Bmw, a citizen oit the United States, andresident oil' Atlantic City, county oi Atlantic, and State ot N ewJersey, have invented an ln'lprovenient iu Fire-Truck rlrpparatus, otwhich the following is a spcciiication.

An object ot my invention is to provide a tire truck, preferably ol theextension ladder type, with means wluu'ehy a plurality of separatelysupported adjustable lire 4hose nozzles may be attached for throwingstreams of water in any desired direction, the truck sustaining' thenozzles in various positions of adjustment with the result that a largenumber of strean'ismay be maintained upon the eontlagration without. thenecessity ol any continued hamlling oit the nozzles by hosemen. Thisimprovement is not only use'liul where a large number ot streams arerequired to be concentrated upon delinite portions of the building onlire, but also in those cases where, owing to intense heat, a waterscreen is necessary to protect the firemen and also the adjacentbuildings facing' the burning` structure.

My object is further, to provide the truck' with a water mainhavinglateral openings ttor simultaneously supplying a nu'n'iher ot'hose nozzles with water under pressure and simplifying the delivery otwater to the nozzles, whereby an increase in e'llciency is obtained inrespect to speed ot application oli the streams to the lire.

A 'further object ot my invention is to reduce the contusioni andditlicultics from too many lines ot hose, where a large number otstreams are necessary, this beingi possible by the use oit one or morewater-mains on the truck, from which short hose sections connect withthe nozzles, whether attachedM to the truck or otherwise, the waterbeing supplied to the said main or mains on the truck by one or morehose lines leading` from the tire eng-ine or high pressure street plugs.lilith these and other objects in view, my invention consists of certainin'iprovements in lire truck apparatus `lor eliiciently delivcrine' aplurality of water .streams with a .minimum requirement ot manual labor'and attention on the part of the firemen, all o'li which are fully setout hereinafter and more specifically defined in the claims.

The present invention is, in a measure, an improvement upon the fireapparatus set out in my application Serial. Number 4, 1924. Serial No.690,419.

680,094-, tiled December l2, 102:3, lin which I have shown a lire laddertruck provided with special lire nozzle supporting' means adapted to headjustahly clamped to the ladder and whereby the nozzle may be adjustedfor directing),` theV stream where needed and continuc to operatewithout requiring' thc immediati` attentioii olf the ilrcmcn, the deviceheine' adapted for water tower etliect and ttor directing a plurality ot.streams simiultaneously by employment ot a plurality ot' similar tirenozzles and supports connected to a ladder, on or ott the truck, asdesired.

liteierrinpr to the drawings: l? l is a side elevation oit anextensionladder truck havmp; my `improveinente applied thereto, Fig. 2is a transverse section of a portion olf the same, taken on line 2--2oit Fig'. l; Fig. 3 is a plan view ot the water main employed on thetruck; lie'. 41 .is a sectional view cfa, portion ot one olt the laddershaving one oit my improved tire hose nozzle holders attached thereto;andllig'. 5 is a plan view illustrating,` the lirehose in typicali'r'orm 'l'or supplying water from different sources to the water mainon the truck. y

3 is the chassis or main trame oit the truck which is shown as motordriven. The lchassis is provided with, the usual pivoted extensionladder 4l; having; suitable n'ieans 5 -lor raising and lowering it ascustomary. The chassis is also provided with uprights G havingtransverse simporting,r rollers 7, one above the other, iter' sustainingthe several ladders 8, as more fully shown in Fie'. 2. rlhese rnn'ightsG are also conveniently provided with arms 6 at their upper ends uponwhich ladders may be hung longitudinally of the truck at each side, oneof which, 9, being shown in position in 2. rlhe gern, eral constructionot the truck is immaterial to my invei'ition, as any ot the laddertrucks in (general use are adapted `tor my improve ments; and it will,therefore, be understood that what l have illustrated is by way otexample only and not as restricting` my invention to any particular typeot truck. r'til'rang'ed alone' the length ot the chassis l is a watermain 11, having' at intervals lateral outlets 12 adapted tor connectionwith hose couplings and also respectively provided with shut-ott' valves13. This water' main 1l is preferably secured to the underside or' thechassis by sustaining members 16, or in any" other way desired.; and

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at one end, dcsirably the rear cud, this main is provided with aplurality ot inlet nozzles i-l also adapted to be connected with hosecouplings and said inlet nozzles 'lstalso provided with shut-oil valvesl5, all of which is clearly indicated in Fig. At the other end, thewater main ll is preferably lnfanched, as at ll, reaching to the sidesot the chassis and terminating in coupling nozzles lst also havingshut-olf valves 13s. lVhile the nozzles ll are intended as inlets 'torthe water from the tire engines or high pressure mains, nozzles lil maybe employed for inlets or outlets desired or as necessity may dictate.

ln respect to supplying' water to the main ll on. the trunk, l haveshown, in ltig. 5, three sources ot water supply. One ot the uozzels l-lreceives supply from a high pressure water system by hose line 3G,whereas another oi the nozzles let receives water trom a hose section S2which, in turn, re-

4ceives a water supply from two lines oit hose 3l and leading toseparate vtire engines (not shown) and delivering into hose 32, bymea-ns of the Y coupling 3?). The ren'laining nozzle l-l is shut oit byvalve .l5 but may, il? desired, be coupled to another source ot watersupply. As these hose lines are not directly connected with the tirehose nozzles 25 and hence do not have to be shifted, there is littleneed o' them becoming entangled, objectionably overlapping, orobstructing the street.

The apparatus which has now been described is intended to bring thewater supply to a common place of distribution, nainely, at the truck.It is my purpose to provide re hose nozzles 25 adjustably supported onthe truck or` ladders thereof and connected by short sections ot lirehose 29 with the respective outlets l2 oit the water main ll., ln lprovision is made 'for twelve tire nozzles arranged as in Fig. 2, forexample. but where additional hose lines are available, more oit' thelire nozzles may be clamped to the ladders -l by use ot supportingdevices, such as shown in Fig'. el. In practice, l have employed sii;additional such lines and lire nozzles and have found it convenient toemploy twelve to eighteen streams from a single ladder truck and al set'for continued operation without thenecessity ot manual control vat anynozzle. lllherc the extension ladder 4 is raised, one or more ot thenozzle supports of Fig. et may be applied so that the device may act asa water tower, the additional tire nozzles being secured to theuppermost of the horizontal ladders remaining. By enabling the streamsto be directed and maintained on the lire in this manner, l am able toincrease the etliciency of the lire department in that the iiremen maynearly all be utilized in handling special streams which must be defi-Larzac? nitely shii'tcd 'from place to place, and such work may be mademore eiliective by using my invention to provide a water screen 'loitheir protection where necessary.

Referring now more particularlyv to the means shown `tor adjustablysupiiorting the lire nozzles upon oi' in connection with the truck andits ladders and which are more particularly shown in Figs. 2 and -lz 18is a 'trame providing two leg portions spread apart and each having asuitable adjustable clamp lQby which they may be fitted to and firmlytake hold of the rung's lO or a ladder, such as 9, and from which itprojects at a more or less right angle, as shown in VFig. et. Secured tothe said traine 1S, at its end most distant 'from the clamps l), is ahead 2() to which is hinged a strut 2l having at its Atree end anadjustable clamping jaw 22, also adapted to be clamped upon a rung oiVthe ladder. rlhis strut 2l may be adjustable by suitable sleeve screwingupon right and lclt hand threaded portions, as is clearly sho-wn. lnthis manner, the 'trame ld and the head 2t) may be delinitely positionedin attachment to the ladder. Pivoted in the head 2O is the yoke 23 whichmay be adjustable about an axis substantially parallel to the length oitthe ladder and at right angles to the trame 1S and in which its positionot adjustment may :be insured by a clamping' screw 28. Hinged to theyoke 23 is a saddle 24 in which the tire nozzle 25 is clamped. Thesaddle 2l is provided with a curved segment 26 adjustable in the yoke 3and adapted to be clamped against movement by a clamping screw 27. lnthis manner, the nozzle is universally supported and may be set at anyangle desired. The nozzle 25 is coupled to one end of the short hof-'fesection 29 before referred to, said section bcing flexible so as topermit or" any adjustment desired to the nozzle. In Fig. l, there is.shown si); outlets l2 trom the water main .ll which are all adapted'for connection with anadjustable nozzle and support of the characterillust-rated in Figs. 2 and s-, the saine being attached to the ladder 9illustrated in Fig. 2, but not shown in Fig. l. It will be understoodthat, itt desired, the nozzle 25 may be disconnected from the saddle 2liand be manipulated by the firemen, in which case it would be free, asindicated in dotted lines atm; and it is also evident that one or moreadditional lengths ot' hose may be connected with the hose 29 to providegreater adjustability in the handling ot the nozzle, such additionalhose length being also indicated in the dotted portion.

lt will also be understood that it it is desired to employ additionalfire nozzles on the uppermost horizontal ladders 8, the same may beapplied in a similar manner and may be considered as illustrated in Fig.Ll, it the ladder 9 therein were assumed to be l. tension ladder and thesaine was elevated, it is inanrtest that the nozzle would be elerated`with it and might, in that position, s employed with the ladder as awater .onen

n addition to having capacity for attiuhment to the rungs ot theladders, these lire nozzles 25, together with their yolies 2f, may beadjustably clamped to the hubs 30 secured to the chassis and in whichthey may be adjustably clamped by clamping' screws 3l, as shown at thelett hand side ot' Figi'. This apa zity may be employed nflnre the1adder il required :tor other purposes. ln practice, there would be oneo't these yol-:e supporting4 hubs 3l) tor each one ot the `fate; main1l, and hence in the truck ot' l? l, there would he ten ot such nozzlesupporting hubs, and mnsetpnntly a capacity tor ten separate streams:from these sources., lu addition to these streams, further s trcauismay be taken Atroni the nozzles 141 either iu connection with theextension ladder or with any otl the other ladders or, it preferred, inindependent manually employed lire nozzles. lt `vwill :tui-ther herunlerstood that il it is required that all oli the tire nozzles shallbe arranged at one side of the truck instead oli on both sides, (Fig. 2)the yolre 23 shown at the left hand side of Fig. 2 may be uncoupled fromthe hub 30 on that side and applied to the hub 30 on the opposite sideoit the truck or that where the supporting` Vtrames lil are arranged onthe ladder, and in this Way the entire ten nozzles. may be rfedlyattached to the truck and all playine; streams from the same sidethereof, such adjustahility ot the lire nozzles being possible in viewel the flexible sections ot the hose Q9 by which the nozzles are coupledwith the outlets 12 ot' the water main.

lt will be understood that by leaving the water supply to thelongitudinal water main ll on the truck and the taking oft therelrointhe various streams that are necessary by the laterally extending hoselines, `reat simplic in reaching the nozzles is insured, and this istrue whether the Water main ll on the truck is intended to supply theadjustably positioned nozzles attached to the truck or to supplyseparate hose lines leading; to tire `nozzles handled by the firemen, ortor both oit these purposes, and consequently not only is the system otsupply to a common distribution simple and effective, isnt. thedistribution ot the Water from said place ol dit ribution to the variouslire nozzle is also exceedingly simple and not liable to materialinterference. lt Will also be seen that as all ot the inlets and outletsto the water main ll are provided with independent valves, any nozzlemay be shut oiti il'or any reason, such as not being used or in case ofbursting ot a hose lcng'thQQ, the pressure in the main may be maintainedanc ihe distribution of the Water insured to the plurality ot nozzleswhich may be required to be put into action.

l have shown the means et' attaching the nozzles to the ladder rungswhich l have found excellently adapted for the conditions in practice,but l do not limit niyseltto the particular construction illustrated asthe nozzles maybe adjustably attached to the truck or ladders in anyother suitable manner.

lt will now be apparent that l have dcvised a novel and usefulconstruction which embodies the teatures of advantage enumerated asdesirable, and While l have .in the present instance shown and describedthe preferred embodiment thereoit which has been lionnd in practice togive satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that l donot restrict myself to the details, as the saine are susceptible. otmodilication in various particulars without departing Ytrom the spiritor scope olf the invention.

llavingij now described my invention, what l claim as new and desire tosecure by liettcrs lateut is:

l. The combination with a truck ot a water main arranged alone' thelength thereo't and provided with a plurality ot lateral valved outletsat intervals apart opening to the atmosphere outside ot the truck andsaid main also havingv an inlet for receiving' Water supply, a pluralityo't lire nozzles universally supported at the outside of the truck andspaced along; its length' at a distance lfrom the outer side thereof,said nozzles detachably positioned and arranged for throw" ingr streamsof Water in all directions and troni one side ot the truck over the sameto the other side thereof, means ttor clamping' the tire nozzles rigidlyin their various positions o't attiustmcnt `whereby a plrufality otstreams may be directed upon a lire occurring at either side ot thetruck and continued as to direction Without immediate attention otiliremen, and flexible hose sections arranged entirely at the outside otthe truck and cid'cinlinpv trom the lire nozzles and dctachal'ilyconnected with the lateral outlets oit the Water main.

2. rlthe invention according to claim l, wherein the truck is providedat its outer side with a ladder suplfiort and a ladder positionedthereon with its length arrangijed horizontally to bring' the runesthereof into vertical positions, and wherein turther, the means tordetachably positioning the respective lire nozzles upon the truckcomprise a laterally projecting support havingmeans .tor detachahlygrippingl the vertical ladder Sl i) lot) lltl

rirngg's and :it tlie outer end having ineens for receiving and holdingtlie lire nozzle.

3. A truck having a Water lnain extend 'ingr along its length at itsunderside and proyided with an inlet and also with lateral relyedoutlets at intervals along its length, said outlets openingl to theatmosphere ontside of the trneln in combination with a plurality offlexible liose sections also outside of the trnel: mid detzielniliilysecured to the ontlets ol tlie water main, said hose sections providedat tlieir outer ends with lire nozzles, n plurality ol nozzle elziinpsfor severolly holding tlie lire nozzles n directive positions, sind aplurality of' separate means detaelnilly Connected to the outside of thetruck for supporting the respective nozzle clamps at positionsconsiderably extended from tlie sides of the truck vand at an eleva tionwhereby lireinen standing upon the ground nmy adjust the directivepositions of tlie nozzles.

In testimony o' Wliieli invention, I l1eronnte set Amy liand.

J A0013 B. BLAVV.

